The Best Boxed Pasta for a Quick and Delicious Weeknight Carb Fix

There are few things in life more comforting than a rich and satisfying bowl of pasta. Whether you're making a chunky bolognese for dinner (here's our favorite Bolognese recipe, by the way) or a fresh pesto sauce for a refreshing pasta salad (try this quick recipe for pesto), choosing the right pasta shape, size, and flavor can truly make or break a dish.

And who has the free time these days to crank out their own homemade pasta for weeknight meals, anyway? Not us! To help steer you in the right direction, we've rounded up 12 of our favorite dried pasta brands.

If you're whipping up a batch of homemade Bolognese sauce for Sunday supper, the only noodle shape up for the task of clinging to that sauce is classic pappardelle.

More toothsome than spaghetti, but still a long pasta that can be twirled around a fork, this boxed pasta tastes almost as good as a homemade recipe.

These pappardelle nests from Colavita make cooking fun — just drop a nest or two into a pot of salted boiling water and simmer for 8 minutes until it's al dente. This pasta will make any meat sauce sing.

If you have an active family on the go and can't seem to get enough whole grains into your little one's diet, switch out that white-flour-based pasta for a serving of this organic whole-wheat-grain orecchiette from DeLallo instead.

It's loaded with 6 grams of fiber and 9 grams of protein per serving — and tastes downright delicious cloaked in a creamy cheese sauce with broccoli florets.

Turn any boring tomato sauce-based dish into a spicy arrabbiata by simply adding this Sriracha-infused fusilli from Sfoglini into your recipe. Just slightly spicy with a nice chewy texture, this boxed pasta adds a tasty kick to minestrone or chicken noodle soup.

If you're making your own macaroni and cheese from scratch, you should use these perfectly bite-sized organic noodles from World Market, which are shell-shaped to soak up every drop of that creamy cheese sauce. We love adding green peas and freshly cracked pepper to our homemade mac for good measure.

A number-one best-selling pasta, this spaghetti from household name Barilla is unanimously praised by reviewers for both taste and texture. Delicious served with virtually any sauce, from simple tomato sauce to creamy carbonara, we recommend stocking up on this popular long-cut pasta for weeknight meals.

Giovanni Rana is one of Italy's most renowned and beloved producers of artisanal fresh handmade pasta, and the brand's wide range of products includes pasta varieties like this savory and just slightly salty Prosciutto & Cheese Tortelloni. If you're looking for a versatile and easy-to-make pasta to bring along to a picnic this season, this tortelloni has a quick 4-minute cook time and tastes delicious hot or chilled.

One of the most popular and readily available brands on the market, Barilla has an extensive variety of versatile dried pasta for virtually any occasion or meal. We love this fun rotini shape for use in hearty soups or fresh pasta salads.

With a cook time of only 3 minutes, these angel hair pasta nests are perfect for a quick and easy addition to any weeknight dinner. Try sautéing these thin noodles with ripe cherry tomatoes, basil, and fresh mozzarella for a lighter pasta dish.

Sfoglini makes its Special Edition Porcini Trumpets by adding in a fresh purée of porcini mushrooms to its organic semolina flour blend for a pasta that is earthy, nutty, and comforting. The slightly thicker shape and curly edges cling perfectly to any sauce, freshly grated hard cheese, and seasonal herbs.

This traditional bucatini — a slightly thicker and more toothsome version of spaghetti — is made by using hand-carved bronze molds. This gives the pasta a distinct coarse texture, which in turn gives it excellent sauce-gripping abilities.

Made according to a family tradition that first started in 1800, this tagliatelle pasta has a slightly coarser texture to prevent sauce from slipping off each noodle, so each bite is as flavorful as possible.

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